19-year-old student gang-raped near Baliharchandi temple in Puri.
Police arrest three, including two rapists; search on for another accused.
FIR filed two days later; political criticism targets BJP-led state government.
Police in Odisha’s Puri district have arrested three men and launched a manhunt for another after a 19-year-old college student was allegedly gang-raped near the Baliharchandi temple on Saturday.
PTI reported that the woman was with her male companion near the temple in the Brahmagiri police station area when a group of local youths took photographs and videos of them and demanded money for deleting the images. When the couple refused, two members of the group allegedly raped the woman while others assaulted and tied her companion to a tree, Puri Superintendent of Police Prateek Singh told PTI, citing the survivor’s complaint.
The survivor’s FIR was lodged at Brahmagiri police station. Police also told PTI that the complaint was recorded at Puri Sadar police station on Monday evening; the victim filed the complaint after coming out of the trauma of the alleged assault. She has since undergone a medical examination.
PTI reported that three persons have been arrested in connection with the case, including the two men accused of carrying out the rape, and that a search is under way for another suspect.
Senior Biju Janata Dal leader and former MLA Sanjay Das Burma have criticised the BJP-led state government over the incident and said the Baliharchandi temple and its surrounding area, which attract tourists, require stronger security.
(With inputs from PTI)
